Never take work that wont earn you a ticket or applicable hours towards tickets. Even if it's a weekend forklift ticket you can use going forward in life. If you can prove your worth you'll get your worth.
The Worst PM Ever. Period!
- Thread starter Jinentonix
- Start date
I was/am in the skilled side I didn't see much difference in wages short of benefits, I've never worked CLAC though.
I actually made better money non union as a sub contractor, I know the cost difference and related politics in my current position. I still hold my union card because it does have advantages
A maintenance contractor at the site I'm on just lost their contract to a non-union supplier owned by the same people. The employees were told that they could stay on with the "new" employer but at about 65% of their former wages. I don't know what changes to their benefit package came with the change.
Hey, I get it, business is business. It's just that it's always the guy in the ditch that takes it in the ass, while for owners and managers it's life as usual. These are the changes that the last fifty years have brought. There was once a time when the employees were part of a "social contract", that employers took some responsibility in seeing that those who worked for them saw a decent quality of life as a result of their employment. Health plans and pensions were a big part of whether or not an employers was seen as fair and responsible. Nowadays those are considered as unnecessary expenses.
Yup. Take a concern to your CLAC job steward and he'll say "Shut up and get back to work."Union in name only
You do understand the difference of todays patch and the patch pre 2015 don't you? We all took a hard hit I lost 30% over 4 years as well plus most of the perks are gone, enjoy the Climate change Oil patch
You can always try farming
Or do it on the side I hear good things about it, and don't have to worry about wages
I guess I digressed then. I have a business diploma and a carpenter's ticket and was doing okay with a one-man cabinet shop. But the competitions was pretty stiff, and I live in an area where the bulk of my business came from retirees who saw twenty bucks an hour as big money. It was a peaceful existence but I didn't see that retirement nut growing in the bank. When I found out that making beds and mopping floors in an oilsands camp was a six digit income the tools went into storage and I picked up a toilet brush. The last few years have put a different face on my retirement plans.
Oh yes, I watched it happen. I started up there in 2013 and got a little over a year in before the layoffs started. Like I said, it's just business. The producers have worked hard to increase production efficiency and reduce expenses, making up for lower price with increased volume at a lower cost. It's working for most, others have bailed. Fort McMurray is pretty quiet these days.You do understand the difference of todays patch and the patch pre 2015 don't you? We all took a hard hit I lost 30% over 4 years as well plus most of the perks are gone, enjoy the Climate change Oil patch
You can always try farming
A lot of is did, Union is good it just priced and nitpicked itself out of business, free market will catch up making it feasible to try again.
It has and always will cycle
I was up there that year proofing a new ROW, Ft. Mac was still congested at quitting time but rooms were plentiful
I agree with the pricing part, and the attitude of some long-time members is downright embarrassing. Squawking and whining for "their rights" and shopping at Walmart on their days off. Not a lot of deep thinkers.
The lure of big bucks and big expense in the form of time over stability gets the best of us who have good intentions. Did you score newer more efficient shop equipment? If you cant compete with with someone with a programmable cut table, you gotta get one too or accept stability over growth.
That's apart of the added costs I'm talking about, they're the ones pointing every tiny thing out legit or not, no room for common sense and it costs.
And no appreciation for the fact that they're pulling down top dollar while contracts are disappearing all over. It's just a matter of time for the site I'm at too. We have performance and safety records that are the best in the area, but even that will only carry you so far. I'm pretty close to retirement, I'd like to see the contract last until at least then.
I managed to plod through a lot of bread-and butter projects, kitchen box-building and such, to fill in the gaps between higher end artistic type stuff. I had a small collection of clients with deep pockets and unique tastes, that's where the fun was.
You do realize there is really no such retiring. You'll never stop doing what you find fun especially if it earns